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From Publishers Weekly
Further evidence that Lescroart ( Hard Evidence ) can hold his own among legal-thriller writers comes with this taut novel about an abused San Francisco housewife who is arrested for shooting both her seven-year-old son and her physician husband, a control freak. Narrator Dismas Hardy, defense attorney and hero of four previous Lescroart novels, has plenty of suspects and issues to grapple with. First there's his icy, recalcitrant client, Jennifer Witt, who refuses to go with a battered-wife defense; Jennifer's aloof psychiatrist, who may or may not be her lover; some financial shenanigans concerning the victim's business that provide plenty of motive for high-stakes murder. Then there's the problem of Dismas's grandstanding boss, whose flamboyant, hit-or-miss style leaves Dismas constantly scrambling for higher legal ground. Finally, there's Dismas's wife, who resents the time her husband spends on the case but who insists on striking up a friendship with the accused without telling her husband. The story gets off to a slow start, and sometimes Lescroart belabors the obvious. He also comes close to telegraphing the solution to the mystery, and much of his writing about the characters' personal lives is hamfisted. Despite these flaws, however, an intricate story and satisfying courtroom scenes carry the day. Fans of the genre should find the second half of the book, which covers the trial, especially engaging." Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Further evidence that Lescroart ( Hard Evidence ) can hold his own among legal-thriller writers comes with this taut novel about an abused San Francisco housewife who is arrested for shooting both her seven-year-old son and her physician husband, a control freak. Narrator Dismas Hardy, defense attorney and hero of four previous Lescroart novels, has plenty of suspects and issues to grapple with. First there's his icy, recalcitrant client, Jennifer Witt, who refuses to go with a battered-wife defense; Jennifer's aloof psychiatrist, who may or may not be her lover; some financial shenanigans concerning the victim's business that provide plenty of motive for high-stakes murder. Then there's the problem of Dismas's grandstanding boss, whose flamboyant, hit-or-miss style leaves Dismas constantly scrambling for higher legal ground. Finally, there's Dismas's wife, who resents the time her husband spends on the case but who insists on striking up a friendship with the accused without telling her husband. The story gets off to a slow start, and sometimes Lescroart belabors the obvious. He also comes close to telegraphing the solution to the mystery, and much of his writing about the characters' personal lives is hamfisted. Despite these flaws, however, an intricate story and satisfying courtroom scenes carry the day. Fans of the genre should find the second half of the book, which covers the trial, especially engaging." Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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great book
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legal thriller - kept me guessing "who did it"
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Oh my goodness...this book is AWESOME. I just ordered 4 other of the Dismas Hardy series by this author. WOW
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Courtroom drama at its best. This one looks like a slam dunk for the prosecution, even to the defense. The truth unwinds by increments and "who done it" is not an easy find/guess for anyone, including the reader.
Melissa H. (CatsCradleCreations) reviewed The 13th Juror (Dismas Hardy, Bk 4) on + 19 more book reviews
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An interesting turn of events within the Dismas Hardy novel. Dismas is representing a woman who he believes is guilty. But is she really? Suspenseful and worth reading multiple times.
Readers familiar with Dismas Hardy and the familiar band of characters he travels with will not be disappointed with this story of an abused wife accused of the murder of her husband and only son, whom Hardy has agreed to defend. But even an absolute newcomer to the series will be blown away by the intricate plotting and a twist at the end worthy of Alfred Hitchcock at his best. I never saw it coming. I kept wondering how this story could end with so few pages left to read. Then WHAM! The entire mystery was resolved in a satisfactory way by a twist that never occurred to me, even though the answer was there all along! Great read for anyone who likes mysteries.
Great story by Lescroart, as usual.
Book #4 - Lescroart gets better and better.
Great story...twisting legal mystery. Good read.
Extremely riveting until the last page
Another Dismas Hardy novel by Lescroart - always a good read!
This is a great book by a New York Times Bestselling Author. I have not read this mans books before but I will now. A young wife is arrested for her husbands murder, and she doesn't even try to defend herself. WHY.
Couldn't put the book down. Read this one in 2 days. Thriller to the end.
terrific book
This is a very good legal thriller with compelling characters and a thought-provoking storyline. A very enjoyable page-turner!